It was never hard to spot Jacob Pullen on the floor during a Kansas State game. He was the four-year guard with lethal long-distance range and a Gimme The Damn Ball look in crunch time.

It’s not hard to pick him out of a crowd on the streets of Barcelona, where he signed with one of Europe’s top clubs a year ago, either. Pullen, fresh off of practice, moves slowly in a purple sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. His trademark beard, which falls about an inch below his chin, looks just as it did the day he last stepped on the court for K-State.

We’ve planned to meet at 9 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Barcelona. He arrives right on time, but the long wait for a table there doesn’t seem worth it to him. “I know another good place,” he says. “They like me there.”

He leads us to a crowded restaurant nearby, only we’re seated quickly—upstairs, away from much of the noise where my tape recorder has a prayer. Pullen orders for both of us in Spanish, a tool he’s sharpened since arriving in Spain. Then again, maybe it needs a little more refining.

“I don’t know what that is,” Pullen, perplexed, says as a plate of something he did not mean to order is placed between us. “I’ve never had that.”

We fixate our attention on the mysterious plate. It appears to me to be a beef jerky-ish dish. Pullen disagrees. Perhaps thinly-sliced dried fruit?

No matter. Pullen bravely takes a bite and survives. “It’s not bad,” he assures me. By the time I timidly nibble on a piece, he’s already jumped back into our old conversation.

“That was the toughest loss I’ve ever had, man. I wanted to go to the Final Four so bad. It was the only thing I ever wanted.”

***

For a gifted 24-year-old, Pullen has a long hoops story to tell. Growing up around Chicago and playing against the likes of Iman Shumpert and Patrick Beverley, it wasn’t easy for Pullen to make a name for himself as a high-schooler. A late bloomer by his own admission, he figured he was destined for a low-DI school until a strong Nike All-American camp put him on higher ground. Teams like Marquette and Oklahoma suddenly showed interest.

He also managed to catch the attention of Dalonte Hill, an assistant at Kansas State. Hill asked then-fellow assistant Frank Martin to give Pullen a look, and Martin obliged. Unsurprisingly, it turned into a classic love-at-first-sight tale. Sort of.

“The first time he touched it, he shot an airball that missed the rim by six feet,” Martin recalls over the phone. “But he got down, guarded the guy that was bringing the ball up the floor, created a turnover, ran down, took the next shot and buried a three. I said, I like that kid.”

When Pullen showed up to school months later, he had neither mega-hype nor a guaranteed starting spot. He’d have to earn his minutes in practice going against a freshman who did carry some celebrity status, Michael Beasley. The dominant forward was accompanied by a fast-rising, high-flying redshirt freshman who had generated substantial buzz as well: Bill Walker.

“I played against Mike so much in AAU that we kinda had a rivalry before we got to K-State,” Walker recently told SLAM. “Out of mutual respect, I think we chose to play together in college because of those battles.”

The friendly rivalry only grew more intense under coach Martin.

“We never had a good practice unless you put one on the other to make ‘em mad,” Pullen begins, referring to the Wildcats’ two superstars. “The minute one scored on the other one, that was the best practice you’ll ever see us have. ‘Cause they would go at it all practice. Michael would score and say, ‘Bill I’m gonna get 200 today, you can’t guard me!’ Bill would just come down and dunk on him. I remember having practices where they were on the same team, they would sub out, and sit on the sideline and eat sunflower seeds! Spittin’ in the cup eating sunflower seeds while we’re practicing, you know, just running up and down.”

Pullen must have made a little noise in practice, too, because he opened his freshman season as coach Martin’s starting point guard. His debut couldn’t have gone much better: 18 points and 5 dimes in a blowout win against Sacramento State.

***

Between January 18, 1994 and January 29, 2008, the Kansas Jayhawks held a 35-1 record over the Wildcats. On January 30 of ’08, No. 2 Kansas marched into their matchup with No. 22 Kansas State confident that the result would be a lot more of the same. But these were Michael Beasley and Bill Walker’s Wildcats, and their school was sick of playing second fiddle.

That night, Beasley and Walker each shot 9-18 from the floor and combined for 47 points. The team built a two-possession lead with over a minute left, when a 6-foot-nothin’ point guard from Maywood, IL, nailed home a pair of backbreaking free throws. Pullen, the finisher, shot 10-10 from the stripe on his way to 20 points in the W. (1:40 below)

Led by Beasley and Walker, Kansas State started that ’07-08 season with an 18-6 record. The team stumbled late, though, and entered March Madness as a No. 11 seed. They were able to quickly upset OJ Mayo’s Trojans, but fell to Wisconsin the following game in the Round of 32.

Pullen scored just four points in 22 minutes against the Badgers. That June, Beasley was selected second overall by the Heat, and Walker by the Celtics 35 slots later.

“I always think about the possibilities of us staying together,” says Walker, reflecting on the dozens of K-State wins and trio of tournament runs left on the board after he and Beasley declared.

The following season, with the team largely broken up, its biggest stars stolen by the NBA, Kansas State struggled to find a groove. The team didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament and was eliminated in the second round of the NIT tourney by San Diego State. Pullen scored just 3 points to close out what had been an otherwise solid sophomore campaign.

Instead of rolling into Year Three of the Beasley/Walker/Pullen trio, K-State was unranked entering the 2009-10 season.

Pullen didn’t like the sound of that.

The Wildcats cracked the top-25 in both the AP and coaches’ polls just over a month into the season, and closed the year as the consensus No. 7. Pullen and Dennis Clemente formed a dynamite backcourt, and they found a gem in big man Curtis Kelly, a Junior transfer from UConn.

In March of 2010, Kansas State earned a No. 2 seed in the same NCAA tournament that had eluded them the previous season.

The team rolled into a Sweet 16 matchup with Jordan Crawford’s Xavier squad. In a marathon of a game, Pullen pulled off the following three plays:

23.6 seconds left in regulation. Pullen for three. 70-67 Kansas State.32.9 seconds left in the first OT. Pullen layup. 86-84 Kansas State.31.2 seconds left in the second OT. Pullen for three. 97-94 Kansas State.

His final bucket iced the game. Clemente and Kelly combined for 48 points themselves, and, for the first time in his career, Pullen was on to the Elite 8.

There, though, he ran into an upstart Butler team spearheaded by Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack destined for a title appearance. The lost opportunity still stings Pullen.

“My junior year, that was the best team we had,” Pullen declares. But fatigue wore on the team following its battle against Xavier. The Wildcats shot just 38.5 percent from the floor against Butler. It cemented another season of heartbreak for Kansas State, and altered Pullen’s career path.

“If we would have made it to the final four my junior year, I woulda entered,” Pullen explains. “Everybody said, Oh you woulda been a late-first round, second-round pick your junior year, you had a great year, and all of that. I just wanted to go back to school man.”

***

Three full years and one month after the Wildcats’ monumental upset over Kansas, the two teams matched up again. This time, Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the country. This time, Kansas was dealing with Pullen’s Wildcats.

Kansas State was again unranked when the game tipped off. The No. 1 team in the NCAA facing off against an unranked opponent usually ends up as a laugher.

Only nobody was laughing as the game wore on. Unless you count the always-expressive Pullen, who must have had some fun dropping 38 on the Jayhawks’ collective heads in a shocking blowout home victory.

K-State’s strong finish earned them a No. 5 seed in the 2011 Dance, where they knocked off Utah State in the first round. Round 2 brought a matchup with Wisconsin, and in it a shot for revenge, three years after Wisco bounced K-State to end Pullen’s freshman year.

The performance, masterful as it was, would go down as his final act for Kansas State. Led by a more balanced scoring attack, Wisconsin cold-heartedly sent Pullen into the world of Draft experts, game-tape nitpickers and, ultimately, the true hardwood. Or so we thought.

***

“The crying shame is that Jacob went out his senior year and dominated college basketball coming down the stretch—set a career-high in the last game he ever played, set the school record for points in a career in the last game he ever played—and yet he went from possible late-first, early-second to not being drafted at all,” coach Martin, now at South Carolina, complained to SLAM while channeling much of the emotion he’s become famous for.

Pullen, a student of the game’s sometimes-ugly business end, was far less bothered by the outcome. He understood well that only first-round picks immediately earn guaranteed contracts in the NBA. As the 2012 Draft slipped into its second round, he decided it was best to go unselected.

“I didn’t want someone to control my rights, and send me to a bad team in Europe or the D-League,” Pullen reasons. “A D-League player makes at the best about $20,000 before taxes. You could work at McDonald’s and make more money than that for a whole year.”

Instead of being selected into uncertainty, Pullen took his talents to Italy for a season, followed by a year in Israel. Finally, in August of last year, he wound up with the team Martin has enthusiastically titled “the L.A. Lakers of Europe.”

His long-distance ventures have earned him a secondary perk. Pullen met a number of American players abroad. One such player was in Milan and earning 1.5 million euros annually while averaging 3 points and 1.5 assists per game. Naturally, Pullen wondered how those numbers added up.

The player’s contract stemmed from a law which varies in degree from country-to-country, but establishes a limit on the number of American players a European team can have on its roster. As Pullen detailed, international leagues know that all-American rosters would play top-notch ball, but also irritate home fans.

Some clubs don’t love the rule and try to get around it. If an American player owns a European passport, he can technically be counted as a European on the roster. It’s beneficial to both the team, which maintains the right to sign a different American, and the player, who gains leverage in contract negotiations.

“You look at good teams, and they find a way to get Americans,” Pullen begins. “Most of the times it’s with a passport. That’s a smart thing to do.”

Pullen briefly caught on with the Suns back in the summer of 2012. In Phoenix, he crossed paths with Igor Kokoškov, an assistant coach who also ran the Georgian national team.

“He asked me if I wanted to join the team and get a passport, and I was like, Yeah,” Pullen recalls. “Now every high-level team in Europe will sign me ‘cause I have a [non-US] passport. A [non-US] passport is a lot of money over here. You get one of those things, you’re like gold, man—everybody wants you.”

Pullen’s skills haven’t hurt his chances of signing a lucrative contract, either. He broke the Spanish single-game three-point record with 12 in March. His Barcelona club reached the Eurobasket Final Four in May, but fell to Madrid in the semi-finals.

Pullen’s one-year deal with the team is up, but he expects to sign a new multi-year contract. And why shouldn’t he?

“I do my homework, man,” Pullen says with a smile. “I got a three-bedroom condo here with a hot tub and a grill in the back to myself. It’s 70 degrees most of the year. I really can’t complain.”

Former Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen, who went undrafted in 2011, has agreed to a one-year deal with Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem. The former college standout played professionally in Italy last season, and played with the Philadelphia 76ers during this year’s NBA Summer League. Via Sportando.net: “The Chicago native will enjoy Jerusalem’s two games per week schedule, competing both in the Israeli Domestic League and the EuroCup competition. Pullen signed a one season deal as confirmed by Jerusalem executives. In Israel, Pullen will battle K-State teammate Curtis Kelly, who plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv.”

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts today announced the winner of the 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. This award is given annually to one senior, six-foot and under, who thrived in the classroom and on the playing court.

This year’s winner is Jacob Pullen from Kansas State University. Jacob averaged more than 20 points per game this year for the Wildcats, leading them to a 23-11 record and an appearance in the third round of the NCAA tournament. With his 38 points against Wisconsin in his final game, Jacob also became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,132 points. He also ranks on the Kansas State all-time list for steals, three-point field goals and assists and holds career records for games played and double-digit scoring games.

The school’s first three-time team captain, Pullen will graduate with a degree in criminology from Kansas State in May 2010. He has been involved in several community service projects, including Read to Achieve, Adopt A Family, Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity.

“We are proud to honor Jacob Pullen with the 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award”, stated John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The combination of his success on the court, and his achievements in the classroom as a student-athlete, make him a deserving recipient who exemplifies the qualities this award is designed to celebrate.”
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is named in honor of James Naismith’s daughter-in-law. A panel of representatives from the National Association of Basketball Coaches selects the recipient. To earn the award, the recipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-around basketball ability, and excellence in the classroom.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women. For more information on these and other upcoming events, please visit our website at www.hoophall.com or call 413-781-6500.

Temple was able to get the Aztecs to play at a much slower pace than they were used, holding them to just 18 points in the second half. The Owls scored the final five points to end regulation and force overtime.

In the first extra session, San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard awoke after scoring just six points in regulation. The sophomore scored the first four Aztec points to keep his team in the game. After a Malcolm Thomas free throw to tie the game at 61 with close to two minutes remaining, neither team scored again and they headed to a second overtime.

During those final five minutes, Leonard scored another six points and the Aztecs were able to pull away and win by seven.

While others might be shocked to see San Diego State in the Sweet 16, it is no surprise to its coach.

From the Arizona Republic:

“We’ve got a good team; we find different ways to win,” San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. “We did that again tonight.”

Fisher has been telling everyone this all week, as if not everyone is convinced. His message: You don’t win this many games by accident. He’s right, the Aztecs are good. But they’re a different type of good. They’ll never shoot anyone out of the gym. At times, their best offensive play is simply to miss and get the rebound.

After never winning an NCAA tournament game before this season, the Aztecs now have two under their belt. Their first ever trip to the Sweet 16 will be a date with Connecticut.

A few hours later on the same court, Kansas State, the last team before San Diego State to win a double-overtime game in the NCAA tournament, could not advance to its second straight Sweet 16 as it fell to Wisconsin, 70-65.

The Badgers survived a monster performance from the Wildcats’ Jacob Pullen. The senior guard scored 38 points and set the Kansas State career-scoring record in the process. However, he missed a crucial free throw late in the game that could have tied the score for the Wildcats.

Pullen had one last chance to tie the game on a 3-pointer but his shot was blocked by Jordan Taylor. The defensive play made up for a disastorous offensive performance for Taylor, who shot just 2-for-16 from the field. Taylor did, however, dish out six assists on the evening, several of which went to Jon Leuer, who led all Badgers with 19 points.

Wisconsin now advances to the Southeast regional where it will face Butler for a chance to go to the Elite Eight.

Pullen was nearly unstoppable from the opening tip, scoring 23 of his career-high 38 points in the first half. In what was a much-needed victory to get Kansas State headed back in the right direction after a tailspin over the past few months, Pullen took charge behind the home crowd.

Outside of Pullen, the Wildcat frontcourt did its part to ensure the victory. Against the frontline of the Morris twins, Kansas State managed to win the rebounding edge 25-21. Meanwhile, it held Markieff Morris, the Jayhawks’ second leading scorer, to just 3 points.

But while there were other contributions made on Monday night, Pullen’s performance was the talk after the game.

From TheTopeka Capital-Journal:

All season, people have been waiting for Pullen to do what he did Monday, to put a flawed team on his back and make it great.

That task has seemed overwhelming at times, but not Monday. Pullen scored a career-high 38 points — the most ever scored in a win against a No. 1 team — and went for 23 in a magnificent first half. He shot 9-for-17 from the field, 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 15-for-19 from the foul line.

“It was one of those nights when the ball went in for me,” Pullen said.

As for the losers in Monday’s in-state battle, Kansas walks away from the defeat having put up a brutal performance in its first chance to justify its No. 1 ranking. Meanwhile, Texas is now in the driver’s seat to both win the Big 12 and possibly seize the top ranking on Monday.

Props to Diamond Leung for putting this post together, if only for the great quotes he salvaged from this radio interview: “Kansas State star guard Jacob Pullen today finished serving his three-game NCAA suspension for receiving impermissible benefits at a local department store and is expected to be back in action for Monday’s game against Savannah State. … Pullen apologized to his team and Kansas State fans after today’s game in comments to reporters, according to audio from 1350 KMAN. ‘I kind of feel like Michael Vick in some ways. I feel like I’ve got something to prove again. I feel like people doubt what I’ve done and feel like that I shouldn’t be in a place that I’ve been in. I feel like now is a reason for me to show them I worked hard for everything that’s come my way and everything that this team has gotten. It really makes you hungry again, and I feel like God did it for a reason.'”

-So, no movement yet for Carmelo Anthony, but a much different Nugget roster should be at his disposal tonight, as they look to avenge that tragic loss last week to San Antonio. With the return of Chauncey Billups, Birdman Andersen and Kenyon Martin, Head Coach George Karl will have a full roster for the first (and maybe ONLY time with an impending trade) all year long. Make no mistake, this team’s defensive intensity and overall attitude will be strengthened by the ‘10-11 debut of KMart and, against an opponent like the Spurs, a little experience and grit are in high demand.

-Last night in college basketball featured one of the games I had circled early in the season, as UNLV traveled to Kansas City to face the Wildcats of Kansas State. Unfortunately for the purple faithful, stars Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly were not at Head Coach Frank Martin’s disposal. The tandem was charged with receiving impermissible benefits from a local department store and caused Pullen to be shut-down for three games while Kelly’s suspension is still indefinite. While the player subtraction will surely hinder the Cats in the short-term, it shouldn’t affect either the bulk of Big 12 play or any kind of run come March. Last night, though, the omissions were apparent, as the Runnin’ Rebels held on a for a 63-59 win that was largely in doubt until a late blocked shot and a three-pointer by Oscar Bellfield sealed the win for the visitors.

-Speaking of Kansas State basketball, is there anyone in the world today who is scarier than this man? I would not be surprised if President Obama called on Coach Martin for future peace negotiations with world leaders. Just throw this guy into a room with North Korea’s Kim Jong-il and watch as the nukes are deactivated. As Kansas State forward Jamar Samuels put it, in terms of his coach’s now legendary gaze, “You have to treat it like the sun. Looking at it for more than a few seconds is dangerous to your health.”

-Huge game tonight in Saint Louis (despite no pro team or college one worth much) as the nationally ranked Missouri Tigers and the Illinois Fighting Illini face off in their annual Braggin’ Rights game. A bit of the shine was taken off this game with Illinois’ recent loss to UI-Chicago, but it may just make for a more competitive game in the end.

I’m just lucky that I’ll be sitting courtside for this one.

This post was a segment of Cub’s blog at milehighsportsview.blogspot.com. The Mile High Five is a daily portion of his blog that covers several aspects in the world of Denver and national sports and pop culture.

The shaky start to the season for Kansas State hit another bump in the road Tuesday when Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly, two of the team’s top three scorers, were suspended by the NCAA after receiving improper discounts at a clothing store. Pullen, who had made 82 straight starts for the Wildcats, received a three-game ban, while the length of Kelly’s suspension is yet to be determined.

Without both players, Kansas State dropped a home game to UNLV on Tuesday night for its second consecutive defeat. The Wildcats managed just 59 points and were led by 12 from sophomore Nick Russell, who is currently averaging just 4.3 ppg.

After the game, Frank Martin was clear he was behind his players, but he also believes that their punishment is justified.

From The Kansas City Star:

“These young men have worked hard to represent themselves and Kansas State in a positive manner,” said basketball coach Frank Martin in a statement. “Having said that, they made a mistake in judgment and have to pay a price for that decision.”

When asked for further comment after the game, Martin angrily refused to elaborate.

With games against UMKC and North Florida next up, the team should be able to stop its losing skid without Pullen, the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. Still there are serious doubts surrounding the team, with or without these players. Kansas State has failed to lived up the lofty expectations set for the program this year and must overcome this turmoil to get back on the right track.